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I recently heard the expression "game bird". What birds are these?
The term "game bird" is used to describe birds that are or have been, hunted by man, as in a sport. This is not to be confused with the term "bird" or shuttlecock used in the game of badminton.
The Ring-necked Pheasant is probably the most common "Game" bird we see in our gardens in the Okanagan and they will sneak up to our feeder and forage on any seed they find on the ground. Their name comes from the river Phasis; a river in Georgia, in the former Soviet Union. It is now called the Rion River. The BC Game Commission and a successful breeding led to the release of birds in 1911 in both the South Okanagan and the Vernon area introduced the birds to the Okanagan in 1910. They are now common in Southern B.C., Central Alberta and the Queen Charlotte Islands.
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Pheasants, as they are frequently called, prefer open country and farmlands. The large impressive male with its iridescent, rusty plumage, red wattles, purplish head and white ring around the neck is more likely to be seen in the winter and early spring against the snow. It walks regally and deliberately, with the long sweeping pointed tail almost touching the ground. The tail feathers are molted in the fall, as new ones are grown. It you know the roost of one of these birds, watch the ground below it for their tail feathers. The birds are extremely noisy when flushed and in the spring when mating takes place. The nest, lined with various plant and grass material is placed in a shallow depression on the ground.
Recent loss of habitat has contributed to their decline as well as different methods of farming and predation by hawks, falcons and the increasing population of raccoons, which will raid and rob their nests of eggs. The males tend to be solitary in winter. While the smaller brown females gather in groups. I have seen as many as 6 females in a birch tree feeding on catkins. The diet of pheasants is mostly of seeds, weeds, grasses and fruit. In the spring it is a joy to hear the males calling while vigorously flapping their wings - often on a prominent location where they think they can attract a female.
Another "Game" bird is the Wild Turkey. The bird was also introduced into the Okanagan Valley as well
as other parts of the Province, and is locally found in the north Okanagan. It is a large bird, and a more
streamlined version of domestic Turkey. The male Turkey can weigh 16 lb., while the female, a mere 9
lbs.
It has a heavy body, a long thin neck and a small head. The male sports a "beard" on the breast and the large tail is erected fanwise in display. They frequent broken and more open woodlands, forests and can often be found in flocks of 60 sitting on fences and the borders of farmlands. They can be quite destructive in grain fields and have caused problems in the Kootenay area.
Other game birds include snipe, woodcock, gray partridge and chukar, although I do not believe that hunting is permitted for these species.
Grouse: There are several types of grouse in our area that have also been called "Game" Birds. The more common species are the Spruce Grouse, which is widely distributed across the Province inhabiting coniferous forests; while its close cousin, the Blue Grouse, also widely distributed is more closely associated with the mountain terrain. Both display a fan shaped tail but additionally the Blue Grouse expose purple air sacs, on the side of the neck, with the exposed feathers showing white, all the while emitting low hooting sounds. I believe their call is one of the lowest sounds made by any birds, even much lower than owls.
Pat Westheuser |
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